For young children, Halloween is a night of fun, but trick-or-treating can be dangerous if kids and parents are not careful. Here’s how to keep your little goblins safe this Halloween with some extra caution.
Walk Safely
Statistics show that twice as many children are killed while walking on Halloween compared to any other day of the year. That’s why it’s imperative that children go trick-or-treating with an adult.
The thrill of getting candy often factors into accidents as kids get excited and rush from house to house. So, when walking with your child, stay on the sidewalks. If the neighborhood does not have sidewalks, walk on the far edge of the road, facing traffic, and guide them carefully when they want to cross the street.
Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe
Since it is getting darker earlier now, and prime time for trick or treating is after school from approximately 3pm – 8pm, selecting a costume for your child that is bright-colored is a good idea. However, scary costumes are usually black so in this case add some reflective tape to the material to ensure your child is seen by drivers on the road. You can even stick some reflective tape on their trick-or-treat bags as well. Carrying a flashlight while trick-or-treating is also a good idea to keep your child’s path lit at all times.
Make Sure Costumes are Well-Fitted
Being visible isn’t the only safety measurement for a costume. The right fit is just as important to prevent tripping or entanglement. So, make sure your child’s costume is not too long where they can trip over it or cause someone else to trip over it.
Masks might look cool, but they don’t really adhere to Halloween safety tips because many masks can make it difficult for your child to see or breathe. If possible, have your child skip the mask and use non-toxic make-up to complete the costume instead. However, be sure to use new makeup and not left-over makeup from the year before, which can cause skin irritation. Even if the makeup you have from the previous year has no expiration date, it is still best to get fresh makeup from the store to ensure there is no harm to your child’s skin. Also, before the big trick-or-treating day, test out the face paint to make sure your child doesn’t have a skin reaction. And of course, be sure to wash it all off before they go to sleep.
Make sure accessories such as swords and sticks are not sharp. Costumes with wigs and accessories should contain a label indicating they are flame resistant.
Sort Through Candy
Before you allow your kids to dive into their candy bag, dump the entire bag out and inspect it all. Throw out any candy that is not sealed with a wrapper and avoid homemade treats. If your child is under the age of three, make sure you remove any kind of candy they could choke on, such as gum or hard candy.
Following these trick-or-treating safety tips will ensure your child has a fun and harmless Halloween.
